Chapter Text
The smell of meat and sauce flooded the eskuela so strongly.
The hallway was full of pompous and ridiculous decorations from Dib's point of view.
Valentine's Day was no big deal.
There was a cloying atmosphere and acceptance to the meat and gravy gifts that had the classrooms like a butcher shop.
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One of the students, he tried at all costs to avoid getting too close to the children and their persistent offering of poisonous love for him.
Zim found this holiday very strange, if anything annoying. He found it repulsive how these beings could deliver foul-smelling flesh, as an offering of love and friendship.
“How disgusting, those hairy monkeys only seek to breed with the least stupid and disgusting specimen with a piece of acid poison” thought zim to himself.
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A girl with thick glasses and a black trench coat looked at everything from the pink, gooey, poorly made decorations and young people handing out meat and eating with their mouths open.
Maybe she wasn't the most sociable or fun girl to hang out with, I knew that even with your family, but she didn't really like this holiday either, but for the meat she wasn't bad to eat.
As Dibra was walking down the hallway looking at the decorations and lost in her thoughts she didn't look ahead.
She bumped into someone unintentionally.
It was Torque.
-Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you,” Dibra apologized.
She didn't want to be on bad terms or be rude to him, after all he never messed with her and that was important to her.
-Oh...uh...Dibra...how are you?
It seemed odd to Dibra that he would ask her that, but she didn't think much of it.
-Well, thanks, I guess...usually with the weird things that happen to me, but for now, with this holiday in itself, I don't really like it.
Torque waited a while before asking again.
-What do you think of this day?
-Particularly not much. It seems kind of ridiculous to me to be insecure about not getting meat or sausages with gravy...it reminds me of this weird change, where they used to give candy or cards.
-Well, I think people like the meat better.
They were interrupted by Zim's voice screaming and running in circles as if his body was being burned.
He dropped meat or water.
-He must be a vegetarian,” Torque concluded.
Before Dibra corrected that it's because he's an alien the bell rang and they decided to go to class before Miss Bitters locked them out.
Staying in the hallway of this school was not an option.
Oddly enough this one left near her.
That was kind of weird.
Or more so because someone talked to her for over 5 minutes without calling her crazy or insulting her.
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Classes were no different than other days. Miss Bitters pointing out the awfulness of life and how the farthest most would go would be the subway classrooms.
Nothing new, except that the teacher let the students hand out the meat and sausage samples to the others.
After class the students went to the dining hall.
Today the special Valentine's Day menu was hearts.
Literally steamed cow hearts.
Some even hesitated to order the special for themselves or their sweethearts.
There were certain people who were disgusted by it, that person was Zim.
-How disgusting humans offer organs and entrails to give pathetic displays of meaningless love?
-I know it's stupid,” said a boy wearing a shirt with a heart crossed out with an x.
Zim just raised his non-existent eyebrow at the not-so-stupid human (miracle).
-They give flesh and blood only to receive a measly hug or a horrible kiss at best. In other cases it's giving hearts as tokens of your preference for someone.
-Horrible kiss? What is that for? - Not really understanding that word, but not wanting to admit it.
-Not at all. It's just contact of your mouth with another mouth to give a sense that the other one belongs to you...or so my uncle Edgar says.
Zim only became even more disgusted. To join the disgusting jaws of one human to another.
Don't they know that's where the highest concentration of bacteria and saliva is? Exchanging secretions, gross.
-Wait ugly boy Do humans claim each other with saliva? They are nauseating.
-I know, good luck surviving,” commented the same boy with apathy to leave as if nothing had happened.
That made the alien alert.
Zim took note of this new fact about humans, they were of little use, that's why the Irken were superior in all aspects.
For a moment he wanted to look at his rival and nemesis to death. Maybe trying to exterminate her would cheer him up.
He turned his gaze to where that hideous hairless creature sat, hoping to provoke her, but saw her conversing with another creature that was not her terrifying sister.
-Huh? - Zim was confused.
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Dibra and her sister were sitting at their usual table talking. Well she was chatting and Gaz was half listening to her while eating with one hand and in the other playing with his game slave 2.
-Hello? - I hear someone's voice interrupted with the older sister's butta with a tray of food in her hand.
-Torque? Do you need anything?
He seemed a little hesitant about what to say.
Yes... Can I sit here?...many tables are occupied or filled with half-eaten or somewhat vomited hearts.
Both sisters looked at each other and the younger one shrugged, as if she didn't care.
-Don't bother me while I'm playing and you'll live.
-Done.
It was a little awkward, but they didn't know how to continue conversing with the three of them at the table.
The young paranormal investigator made an awkward gesture, but trying to appear calm, but she looked stiff.
Torque looked at the young gothic girl's game and commented something to her.
-Is that game Vampire Piggy Hunter 2? Did you know there's a secret level?
That quickly caught Gaz's attention.
-Go back to what you said,” he said without giving time to turn the conversation around.
-My older brother is a game streamer and has a video game forum. He found out that if you head to the pet cemetery and go to grave 666 there is a subway passage, and you will fight zombie pigs to find more weapons and a secret boss.
Gaz listened carefully and apparently did just that. Being more focused on nothing on discovering the secret level.
-I didn't know you liked video games,” said Dibra.
-Not really, my fingers cramp up and I mix up the controls, I prefer sports.
Before they could continue talking, they were interrupted by Gaz's shout.
-YES, HERE IT IS,” he said, pointing obsessively at the game.
-And do you like video games? Besides...the paranormal? - he asked with a doubtful tone.
Dibra blinked in surprise. They hadn't expected to ask her about her. They always avoided talking to her about her paranormal investigations, but not other tastes.
-Nah, she's lousy at them. It doesn't last a minute - answered Gaz for her.
-Wow thanks Gaz - said the young woman with glasses - well...I also like mechanical engineering and technology, something I help dad sometimes - she said stirring her food trying to guess if she was given mash or chicken.
-Really? Understanding less about that than the paranormal... Do you use it for your research?
Before she could explain more about it, Gaz interrupted her.
-Forget that, Torque What more secrets do you know about Vampire Piggy secrets?
The talk was pleasant in its own way. Not like one they expected, but better than expected.
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The rest of the school day passed rather quietly, even for Zim and Dibra who had not faced each other all day. Dibra didn't notice, being busy with her thoughts, but Zim noticed him and the guy approaching her.
He was frowning, looking out of the corner of his eye at Torque in class and noticed how Torque was really looking at Dibra during the whole horrible lesson from teacher Bitters, staring at her for long stretches and when someone looked at him he would quickly lower his head.
Zim felt there was something he was missing and decided to shake off that sense of irritation he felt at the sight of the pathetic human obsessively watching his enemy.
Only he could watch to kill.
When the bell rang the students were rushing off to go home and enjoy the rest of the day, others had different plans.
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-Hey Dibra,” she heard a voice somewhat familiar to her.
It was Torque again.
It was strange to her, they were not close, but all day long he approached her to talk and that was unusual.
The twelve year old girl turned to the boy who was talking to her.
-Hi Torque, do you need anything? - She closed her locker and looked at the young man who was talking to her.
He started looking down the hallways as if hoping to see no one in them and waited to see that there was no one in sight.
This put Dibra on alert. This behavior did not give him a good feeling, something was wrong.
-Hey Torque, is there something you want to tell me? You've been really weird and normally you wouldn't come up and talk to me,” she raised an eyebrow questioningly.
-Eh...I...-he was very nervous as if he wanted to tell her something.
-Yes?
She didn't expect him to approach her so quickly, grabbing her shoulder and stealing a surprise kiss.
That was unexpected and crazy, even for her.
She felt shocked by this unexpected moment, she never imagined that someone would dare to kiss her unexpectedly.
Not knowing how to react to this situation, she pushed Torque and left practically running to leave as soon as possible.
Her mind was spinning in circles and her nerves were eating her stomach with shock. She had a huge heat on her face, clearly ashamed of this.
Why did Torque kiss her, did he like her or did he just want to kiss her?
Nothing helped to clarify this and only her mind was going in circles.
She stopped almost outside the staircase, breathing heavily.
He touched his lips with his fingers still feeling a tingling in them and a strange sensation.
This was without a doubt the strangest thing that had ever happened to her in her life.
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Zim just looked at the exchange with total surprise and indignation.
It was totally disrespectful to him.
He was Dibra's rival and mortal enemy. Why was that fool claiming it as his own?
He was his adversary, he was the one who could only claim.
This brainless maggot wasn't going to take that away from him,
Then he remembered what the other stupid larva told him.
“In other cases it's giving hearts as tokens of your preference for someone.”
He saw the boy banging his head on the locker repetitively muttering nonsense and insults to himself.
He saw no one in the hallways of the school, not even the teachers who were probably in a classroom meeting or going home.
It was perfect for what he had planned.
Using his spidery legs he slithered across the ceiling, unobtrusively until he was on top of his prey.
The latter was still in his show of self pity that he didn't notice the small figure with macabre intentions hovering over him.
“This would be too easy” thought Zim.
The sound of a sound caught the rejected young man's attention, but he didn't know where it came from. He thought no one was around at this hour.
Torque sensed something was wrong when he felt his skin crawl and the metallic noise was above his head.
When he involuntarily looked up he saw Zim rising above him with a dark smile full of sharp teeth, clinging to the walls and ceiling as if he were a spider about to catch his victim.
-BUT WHAT...” was all he managed to say before one of those sharp legs attacked him.
“I already know what I need.....”
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-This day has been really weird Gaz.
She didn't say anything about the interaction with Torque and that kiss.
She couldn't even think about it herself. She was turning red just remembering it, I mean... Why did he kiss her?
-All your days and mine when I'm with you are weird - without taking her eyes off her game -And that impresses you?
-I mean weird for us and that's already a lot.
Gaz raised an eyebrow as if considering his sister's words, but didn't answer anything.
There was a loud banging on the door, almost as if they wanted to break it down, and both sisters were exhilarated by the thunderous noise.
-You're standing there, go open the door,” Gaz said and went back to playing his video game.
Dibra just rolled her eyes, but went to the door to open it anyway.
The knocking on the door echoed loudly in the entryway, for a moment Dibra worried that whoever was on the other side of the door might break it down at any moment.
This put her on immediate alert, this had a warning sign everywhere one looked.
Very slowly she approached the door and the closer she got and the more suddenly...the knocking stopped abruptly.
It was as if they knew she was already close to it.
This chilled her blood all at once, beyond the situation. Something about the whole thing told her that it was horrible was going to happen if she opened up.
She looked through the peephole of the door and saw only the little light that illuminated the street and saw no one standing on the other side of the door.
When he opened it carefully, he realized that there was indeed no one there.
Except for something that was on the step of her house.
It was a gift box.
It was wrapped rather oddly and messily, as if it had been done in a hurry.
It also looked sloppy and battered, with stains of a rather particular color.
It was red with a metallic smell that was easily recognizable to the young paranormal investigator.
It was blood.
The bile began to accumulate when she carefully lifted the box to find out what was inside, but when she did so she realized that underneath it was soaked with the same liquid as the stains.
He dropped the gift, almost throwing it to the floor.
She was almost going to throw it away, however, a part of her told her not to open it, the morbid part made her open the box.
Ignoring her instinct, she cautiously opened the box.
Dibra should have listened to her instinct, but it was too late.
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Gaz continued to play video games while he let his sister answer the door or the madman banging on it.
She heard the basement door open and saw her father come out of it.
-My dear daughter, I have finally finished my scientific and important work. Do you know where your sister is? I wanted to ask her if you want food to order.
He saw Professor Membrana look around for his other daughter.
-It was opening the door of someone who did not stop bothering.
He paused the game to look at his father.
-You're going to order pizza, right?
-Would your sister want some?
-Of course, she loves it,” he said without really thinking about it, ”especially if it's bloaty's pizza hog.
-Magnificent, my child, I...
I didn't finish the sentence when I heard Dibra scream.
Her father practically craned his neck in a jerking motion that made it look as if he had broken it because of how quickly he turned around when he heard his daughter scream.
Even Gaz got excited. More than once he'd heard his sister scream, whether it was screaming paranormal nonsense, to curse Zim or even in pain, but this scream was different from many others he'd heard.
It was one of absolute terror.
-DIBRA, Daughter, what's wrong, are you all right? - she saw her father quickly disappear to the entrance of the house to see what was wrong with his daughter.
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Standing far away from the horrifying scene were two hidden figures listening to everything.
-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - laughed Zim - Did you see Gir? The human Dib is amazed by my gift - Zim praised himself to Gir who was listening closely - victory for the incredible Zim.
-SIII, MARY LIKES THE COW CHOP - laughed Gir innocently.
But it wasn't exactly exclamations of joy or anything.
It was a terrible experience.
It was a heart...
A human heart.
She could tell just by looking at it.
The bottom of the box was wet with blood and the heart as if it had been ripped out.
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At least Torque was able to accomplish what he set out to do....
He was able to give his heart to Dib.
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Thank you for reading, this was an overdue Valentine's Day special. I had a lot of writing and ideas, but I didn't have time to write and update, even so I bring you this story that has been on my mind.
If I feel like writing more I would do an extra.
I hope you liked it.